Heraklion Archaeological Museum - CollectiveAccess System : Clay objects : Amphora with Linear A inscription [Π2600]

Amphora with Linear A inscription

Π2600

Clay

Mended and restored.

Height: 62 cm.

Knossos

Palace - Southwest Basement

Middle Bronze Age. Neopalatial period, Middle Minoan ΙII period.:

1700-1600 BC:

Gallery:

Case:

Exhibition thematic unit:

Late Bronze Age - Neopalatial period (1700-1450 BC). The New Palaces. The zenith of Minoan civilisation

Palaces - Palatial Buildings

Description

This type of amphora, with a slender body, low cylindrical neck, circular mouth and two horizontal handles, is generally rare and is found in the early Neopalatial period. The vase was found in the Southwest Basement of the palace of Knossos, in a storage space together with other vessels. It has a Linear A inscription on the shoulder. Similar amphorae have been found in other areas of the palace such as the Temple Repositories, and also in the House of the Sacrificed Oxen in the environs of Knossos. The vessels are heavy and made of coarse clay, meaning that they may have been used to transport goods over long distances, due to the stability ensured by the robust lower body with thick walls. However, the relative rarity of this type of transport vessel, taken together with their discovery, in some cases, in spaces containing highly symbolic objects, such as the Temple Repositories of Knossos, may indicate that they served some special purpose, perhaps making offerings or storing certain goods in the context of ritual practices. This interpretation may be supported by the five-sign inscription in Linear A incised on the shoulder of this amphora from the Southwest Basement.

Bibliography:

Evans, A.J. The Palace of Minos: A Comparative Account of the Successive Stages of the Early Cretan Civilization as Illustrated by the Discoveries at Knossos. Vol. I, London, 1921, 554-556, figs. 403, 453, 416b.

Author:

I. N.

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